By Wayne McLaurin
and Mark
Czarnota
University of Georgia

The hottest things in the landscape now are “new” and native
plants. Well, there are no new plants — just the ones we don’t
know about. However, one native plant is truly
underappreciated.

This plant can be propagated by both cuttings and seed. And no
one ever fertilizes it. It seems perfectly happy with just native
soils and their inherent fertility.

Besides this low fertility requirement, it also has all of the
sought-after characteristics of a Xeriscape plant. Nobody waters
it. It seems to thrive in the drought and heat.

Fantastic ground cover

It grows as a fantastic ground cover. It can cover an area in a
single year. It’s not subject to any disease or insect, either,
and it competes with weeds and grasses exceedingly well.

This plant can be grown as a small shrub or as a standard if you
wish. It’s deciduous and won’t maintain its leaves in the winter,
but it has good form and shape.

You don’t need to look at the zone growing chart. Remember, it’s
one of our original native plants. It’s well-adapted and produces
fantastic growth from Nova Scotia to British Columbia and from
Florida to Mexico. It grows well in all of North America.

Grows anywhere as a vine

This plant can be grown as a vine, too, on a trellis, trees,
houses — anywhere.

This amazing plant has wonderful fall color and produces wildlife
food (the birds seem to devour its seeds).

Besides all these other characteristics, it can be used as a
barrier plant where you don’t want traffic in the landscape.
Virtually nobody steps into or crosses this plant.

There may be no other plant that incorporates all of these
ornamental characteristics in a single plant.

Would you like to have one?

Probably not.

It happens to be Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy).

If you still don’t like it

If you already have it in your landscape but don’t really enjoy
its virtues, there are ways to get rid of it.

Most people who are highly allergic to poison ivy wisely choose
not to hand-remove it. Many people resort to herbicides to
control the plant. A number of products will provide control,
including some that homeowners can buy:

• Imazapyr (“Arsenal” and others).

• Clopyralid and triclopyr (“Confront”).

• 2,4-D (various brand names).

• Glufosinate (“Finale”).

• Glyphosate (“Roundup” and others).

• Triclopyr (“Brush-B-Gone” and others).

  
  

All of these herbicides work best when applied to actively
growing plants. All can be applied to foliage, but triclopyr,
glyphosate and imazapyr can also be applied to cut stems.

For example, if the plant is creeping up a wall or tree, it’s in
your best interest to cut a 12-inch section of the stem and
remove it. Everything above the cut should die, but the plant
below the cut could resprout.

To prevent resprouting, spray or paint the stems immediately
after you cut them. When you’re making this cut-stem application,
most herbicide manufacturers recommend using the herbicide at
full or 50-percent strength. Refer to the product label for the
correct directions.

Best time to spray

It’s best to apply these three herbicides in late summer or early
fall.

Imazapyr, glufosinate and glyphosate are nonselective herbicides,
so take care to prevent spray drift from contacting desirable
plants.

Clopyralid, triclopyr and 2,4-D are safe to use in turf grasses,
but take care to prevent spray drift from contacting plants
sensitive to these herbicides. Always refer to herbicide labels
for application information.

Check treated plants periodically to make sure you get complete
control. You may need to reapply.